Crunch time on alfalfa

Every year is so different in terms of weather, especially in Kansas. This spring, the heat got here early. We have had several record high temperatures this past week. This has caused crops, trees, insects and other things to be about 10 days ahead of normal.

Alfalfa insects and harvesting will be my main thrust today, because we are down to crunch time. But, I want to discuss this weather a little more.

It is not uncommon to see an occasional 90 degree day in April, but it is usually at the end of the month and when it does happen, most of the time it is maybe one or two days and not a solid week.

The wind has been terribly gusty the past month or two, which probably isn't rare in Kansas but it seems to have intensified, causing a lot of blowing dust and ripping off shingles and stirring up fires.

I don't know what normal is anymore, so we will use the term--average. On the average we start cutting alfalfa in our area about May 10. I usually say to start looking for insects about April 10, but don't get very concerned until after the 15th because often we freeze off the top growth anyway.

Believe it or not, with the warm weather we have had, we started seeing bugs by the end of March and I think by the end of April, we will be swathing alfalfa in this area.

In many areas this is alfalfa weevil treatment decision time, and for others it is still a few days away. We are also still seeing quite a few aphids in fields.

As a rule, I am conservative when it comes to spraying for insects, except for those that hit us every year on certain crops. I am convinced that in areas like ours where weevisl hit every year, that the growers who spray take off a half ton more hay on the first two cuttings than those who don't. Some people have had to spray twice this year already.

To check for infestations of aphids, you will probably need a sweep net. Aphids will hurt you more in dry years when the hay is already suffering whereas, in wet years the hay may out compete them. In the case of alfalfa weevil, you can break off stems, put them in a bucket and do a stem count. This is all covered in K-State's Alfalfa Insect Management Guide, which is free and available from your county Extension office.

Some varieties have resistance to pea aphids, less to blue aphids. If you have a commercial variety, you might want to check with the dealer for information on resistance ratings to pea aphids and blue aphids. You have to look at the antennae to separate the two. Pea aphid antennae are green with a narrow band at the upper end of each segment while the antennae of blue aphids are uniformly dark in color. For control, some people prefer the organic phosphates. Examples are Lorsban, methyl parathion, Penncap M, Malathion, and Dimethoate. Some of the pyrethroids such as Proaxis, Baythroid, Mustang, Warrior, Ambush and Pounce are labeled, and may be adequate, but in general, they are not as effective against aphids as they are against worm pests. This is why I like tank mixing different families of insecticides. A tank mix will take care of both weevils and aphids at half the full rate of each.

Most all of these will provide good weevil control, as will Furadan, Imidan and Malathion. You do have to be careful as to the waiting interval on the label, since some fields may be within a week of harvest. If you spray it yourself, you need at least 20 gallons of water per acre on hay that is over 15" tall for good coverage.

Weevil can eat a lot of leaves and weaken plants in only 3-4 days. Some people may choose to harvest the alfalfa without treating, but I would caution you to beware of the adult weevils holding back the second cutting.

The Alfalfa Insect Guide will give threshold levels on when to treat, depending on the height of the hay and insect numbers.

Arbor Day is April 28

The last Friday in April (April 28 this year) is celebrated nationally and in Kansas as Arbor Day. It is a day to plant trees.

A few good things have come out of Nebraska, one of them being Arbor Day. In 1872, J. Sterling Morton proposed to the Nebraska Board of Agriculture that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees, and this holiday, called Arbor Day, was first observed with the planting of more than a million trees in Nebraska. 2006 is the 134th anniversary of the holiday and Arbor Day is now observed throughout the nation and the world.

Trees can reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce life-giving oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife.

Trees are a renewable resource giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and beautify our community, and trees, wherever they are planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal.

Trees can add value to your home, help cool your home and neighborhood, break the cold winds to lower your heating costs, and provide food for wildlife. Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent.

We still have trees available through the conservation tree planting program at our office. We will stop sales after the first week in May.

In case the 28th is a terrible day, you can celebrate Arbor Day anytime by planting a tree. It is an investment in the future.

Date: 4/18/06

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